Optical combiner with integrated prescription optical correction and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

A head mounted display includes a combiner configured to receive display light from a micro-display. The world-facing surface of the combiner has a curvature that corresponds to a user's vision correction prescription. The head mounted display also includes a corrective layer having a second curvature that corresponds to the user's vision correction prescription. The corrective layer is disposed on the eye-facing surface of the combiner such that the focal point of the display light is adjusted for the specific user as the display light exits the combiner towards the user's eye.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A head mounted display comprising:
 a combiner, configured to receive display light from a micro-display, having a world-side surface and an eye-side surface, the world-side surface having a first curvature corresponding to a user's vision correction prescription, wherein the combiner comprises a waveguide prism coupled to a compensation prism with a polarization beam splitting (PBS) film layer and a linear polarization film layer disposed between the waveguide prism and the compensation prism; and 
 a corrective layer, disposed on the eye-side surface of the combiner, having an eye-side surface configured to have a second curvature corresponding to the user's vision correction prescription. 
 
     
     
       2. The head mounted display of  claim 1 , wherein an air gap is maintained between the combiner and the corrective layer. 
     
     
       3. The head mounted display of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a quarter wave plate layer disposed between the combiner and the corrective layer. 
 
     
     
       4. The head mounted display of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an output film stack layer disposed on the eye-side surface of the corrective layer. 
 
     
     
       5. The head mounted display of  claim 1 , wherein the combiner comprises the waveguide prism coupled to the compensation prism such that a portion of the waveguide prism and a portion of the compensation prism form the world-side surface of the combiner. 
     
     
       6. The head mounted display of  claim 5 , wherein the waveguide prism and the compensation prism each have a vertical height that is less than the vertical height of the combiner. 
     
     
       7. An optical combiner configured to be mounted in a head mounted display, the optical combiner comprising:
 a world-side surface comprising a waveguide prism coupled to a compensation prism, the world-side surface having a first curvature, wherein a polarization beam splitting (PBS) film layer and a linear polarization film layer are disposed between the waveguide prism and the compensation prism; and 
 an eye-side surface comprising a corrective layer having a second curvature, 
 wherein the first curvature and the second curvature correspond to a user's vision correction prescription diopter. 
 
     
     
       8. The optical combiner of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 an output film stack layer disposed on the corrective layer. 
 
     
     
       9. The optical combiner of  claim 8 , wherein the output film stack layer comprises:
 a linear polarization film layer disposed on a polarization beam splitting (PBS) film layer; and 
 a quarter wave plate (QWP) film layer disposed on the PBS film layer. 
 
     
     
       10. The optical combiner of  claim 7 , further comprising all the linear polarization film layer disposed between the PBS film layer and the waveguide prism. 
     
     
       11. The optical combiner of  claim 7 , wherein the waveguide prism and the compensation prism each have a vertical height that is less than the vertical height of the optical combiner. 
     
     
       12. The optical combiner of  claim 7 , wherein the waveguide prism is configured to convey display light, via multiple reflections, from an incoupler region of the waveguide prism to an outcoupler region of the waveguide prism in order to display an image to a user. 
     
     
       13. A method comprising:
 receiving a lens blank including at least a first surface, formed from a waveguide prism and a compensation prism, wherein a polarization beam splitting (PBS) film layer and a linear polarization film layer are disposed between the waveguide prism and the compensation prism, and a second surface, formed from an optical material, wherein the first and second surfaces have curvatures corresponding to a user's vision correction prescription; and 
 adhering an output film stack layer to the second surface. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the output film stack layer comprises:
 a linear polarization film layer disposed on a polarization beam splitting (PBS) film layer; and 
 a quarter wave plate (QWP) film layer disposed on the PBS film layer. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein adhering the output film stack layer to the second surface comprises adhering the QWP film layer to the second surface. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the linear polarization film layer is disposed between the PBS film layer and the waveguide prism. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 13 , wherein microspheres are disposed between the first and second surfaces within the lens blank to form an air gap. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 13 , wherein a QWP film layer is disposed between the first and second surfaces within the lens blank.